ABSTRACT

The exhibition of works from the Prinzhorn collection of psychotic art, which toured various American museums in 1985, raises with a new urgency the old question of the relationship between art and insanity. To what extent is it true that there are common mental processes shared by artists and by people whom we consider to be mentally disturbed? And if there are commonalities, are these inherent to the making of art, or are they due to arbitrary historical accidents? Even though we may have no conclusive answers to these questions, it is important periodically to review the evidence bearing on the issues and revise our tentative conclusions.